As Pride month comes to an end—and rainbow graphics, T-shirts, window decals and social media icons start to come down—which corporations will continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights? And which companies will simply take their sales and wait until next June to profit from Pride?
If you’ve been to a Pride parade, you’ve likely seen corporate floats and big brands using the hashtag Love is Love or releasing a Pride-themed clothing line.
As a whole, this is not a bad thing. Perhaps it’s even a symbol of how far the LGBTQ+ community has come in terms of economic power, emancipation and equality.
The hypocrisy begins when corporate rainbows stop at the end of June, and brands who claim to support Pride continue to allow systems of oppression which target LGBTQ+ folks, to live on.
Urban Outfitters is just one brand that is quick to capitalize on Pride month by selling rainbow apparel, while simultaneously supporting politicians who are against gay rights.
Over a nine-year period in the early 2000s, Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne donated $13,000 to Republican senator Rick Santorum, who has made anti-LGBTQ+ comments and spoke out against United States Supreme Court judgements which advanced gay rights.
Santorum even wrote a book entitled “It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good,” which spoke about his belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Although Canada is thought of by some as more accepting than the United States and has recognized gay marriage for 16 years, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights at home goes far beyond marriage equality.
Pride represents the struggle of all those who are punished daily for who they are on a political, economic, and social level. It’s an ongoing fight for emancipation for transgender folks, and those across the spectrum of gender, sexuality, and orientation.
That’s why any Pride advertising campaign without substantial financial and social activism or engagement with the community, is performative—and may even serve the companies running these campaigns more than the community itself.
H&M is another example of a brand whose support for the LGBTQ+ community does not extend beyond Pride month.
In 2018, H&M donated just 10 per cent of sales from its Pride collection to LGBTQ+ charities—18 per cent less than the corporate tax rate. The company also continues to manufacture products and make business in countries in which homosexuality is illegal and punishable with imprisonment, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
Minute financial contributions, paired with actions that harm the queer community, is just one example of how corporations’ involvement in Pride can be more performative than helpful.
Pride began as a riot at the Stonewall Inn—as an outcry against the marginalization and violence against queer folks that existed for centuries.
To this day, Pride remains a protest. It is a cry to our neighbours to recognize our community as a group of human beings. It is a call to politicians to make laws that make this world a safe place for us to exist. It is a call to corporations to use their economic power to drive change, amplify queer and melanated voices, and diversify workforces.
Pride is not an advertising campaign.
There are plenty of companies that recognize the importance of creating true change for LGBTQ+ folks, and who use their fiscal power to drive change in favour of the community.
TD Bank, Toronto Pride’s Platinum sponsor, conducts studies about financial stability for LGBTQ+ folks. They have been a sponsor of Toronto Pride for years, and continue to make a public effort to create an inclusive workplace.
Nike donated $2.7 million to LGBTQ+ charities between 2012 and 2018.
Not all companies have ulterior motives when it comes to participating in Pride. One simply has to be aware of any company’s true intentions when it comes to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
However, the lines are often blurred. It can be hard to differentiate between a company with ill intentions and those who are truly invested in the advancement of human rights.
Some ways to fight back against capitalization on Pride are to support queer-owned businesses and to conduct research on how corporations support queer people and BIPOC.
Before supporting any business, it is always good to ask yourself some questions. Are these companies donning the rainbow flag to show their true support and amplify queer voices? Do they have human resource policies that support inclusion? Do they financially contribute to LGBTQ+ charities? Do they produce goods in countries that respect human rights? Do they actively support political agendas that advance gay and transgender rights?
Or are they just trying to sell more T-shirts?
Featured image from file.
